Dirty Job
by badly-knitted
Summary: Ryo doesn't regret his decision to be a cop, but there's one aspect of the job he really hates. Still, at least he can count on his lover to help him get clean. Written for Challenge 6: Dirty at slashficlets. Set after Like Like Love.


**Title:** Dirty Job

**Author:** badly-knitted

**Characters:** Ryo, Dee, OC.

**Rating:** PG

**Setting:** After Like Like Love.

**Summary:** Ryo doesn't regret his decision to be a cop, but there's one aspect of the job he really hates. Still, at least he can count on his lover to help him get clean.

**Word Count:** 999

**Written For: **Challenge 6: Dirty at slashficlets.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.

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OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

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Looking down at himself, Ryo wrinkled his nose in disgust; he no doubt stank to high heaven, but mercifully his sense of smell seemed to have stopped working.

He was proud to be a cop, it was an honorable choice of career, and while he'd never get rich from working to uphold law and order, he was getting something far more important from it than a healthy bank balance. There was the satisfaction of getting dangerous criminals off the streets, making sure they paid the price for their crimes, and there was the knowledge that he was giving the families of homicide victims answers to at least some of their questions about the whys and hows of their loved ones' deaths, along with some degree of closure.

Most of the time he was happy with what he did for a living despite the piles of paperwork, the long hours, late nights, and early mornings, the constant danger to life and limb, and the endless red tape that so often hampered his ability to do his job as effectively as he'd like. All jobs had their downsides. Days like this though, it got a whole lot harder to remember why he'd been so determined to pursue a career in law enforcement.

Shouldn't the crime scene people, with their disposable coveralls and scientific training, be doing this part of the job? Wading in filth was not his idea of a fun way to spend the afternoon, and yet here he was, up to his knees in garbage on one of the city's trash barges, searching for the bloodstained knife a possible witness claimed to have seen a colleague toss in a dumpster four days ago. It was just Ryo's bad luck that the witness hadn't come forward until the morning after the dumpsters in that area of the city had been emptied. Typical.

He straightened up from his task, silently cursing his partner, who would have been here except that he was testifying in court on another case; one Ryo hadn't been involved with.

"Lucky Dee," he muttered. "He gets to sit around a clean, dry courtroom for a few hours while I get this."

It was drizzling rain, which just made everything stick to his clothes and squelch disgustingly beneath his feet. This was without doubt the worst part of being a cop; dumpsters, filthy alleyways, trash heaps, derelict buildings littered with used condoms, spent needles, and wind-blown refuse, blood-spattered crime scenes, and every kind of filth imaginable… More than anything, Ryo longed to strip off his soiled clothes and get clean, preferably under a hot shower. Failing that he'd even be willing to take his chances jumping in the river. It might be polluted but whatever was in the water it couldn't be any worse than the putrid contents of the barge.

There was no guarantee the murder weapon was even here! For that matter, there was no guarantee the witness had seen what he thought he had. Maybe his colleague hadn't been tossing away a bloodstained knife; it could have been something else entirely.

Still he kept searching, along with a couple of uniformed officers, all the NYPD had been able to spare from other duties.

"Detective, I think I've found something!"

Hearing the shout some twenty minutes later, Ryo made his way over to the eager young patrolman.

He had indeed found a knife, and the smears on the blade certainly looked like dried blood. Forensics would be able to tell.

"Good work, Officer Bell." Ryo bagged the knife, eager to get back to the precinct and clean up.

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OoOoOoO

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"Hey, babe. How was your day?"

The best part of going home after a day like this one, Ryo decided, was having his lover waiting there to greet him when he stepped through the front door.

"Delightful," Ryo said, sarcasm fairly dripping from his words. "Spent most of the day digging through rotting garbage."

Dee winced in sympathy. "Dumpster diving?"

"Worse; we had to search a trash barge! Thought I was gonna be there until shift change."

"Sheesh! At least tell me ya found what you were lookin' for."

"After almost four and a half hours, yes, but I never want to go through that again. I showered twice back at the precinct, but I still feel dirty, and I'm not sure the clothes I had on will ever come clean. I rinsed them through a few times, but…" He held up the black trash bag he was carrying, securely knotted at the top. "They still reek. Pretty sure I do too, I was getting some odd looks on the subway."

"Dump that by the door, I'll take it up on the roof later; let your stuff hang out in the wind and rain overnight before givin' it a good wash. That should do the trick."

Ryo smiled ruefully. "Worth a try; I guess smelling of traffic fumes is better than what I got caked in. Speaking of which, I think I need another shower. I can still smell that trash heap."

"The stink's probably gotten into your sinuses. C'mon, quick shower then a long soak in the tub. Breathin' steam and lavender oil should clear it out. I'll even scrub your back for ya, and any other bits might require my attention." Dee winked.

"That's the best idea I've heard all day. Lead the way." Ryo dumped the bag by the door, kicked off the sneakers he kept in his locker, and padded barefoot behind his lover.

A good all-over scrub beneath the hot spray helped, especially with Dee lending a hand, and relaxing in the bathtub afterwards surrounded by lavender-scented steam was heaven.

"Feelin' cleaner?" Dee asked.

"Starting to." Ryo cracked open his eyes to smile up at his lover.

"Good." Dee shed the robe he was wearing, a wicked grin on his face. "How d'ya feel about gettin' all dirty again?"

Ryo's eyes wandered over his lover's naked body.

"I think I could be persuaded."

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The End


End file.
